Sex worker is not amused by ad
By JONATHON HOWE – Manawatu Standard
A Palmerston North prostitute is fuming about an adult website posting her cellphone number and sex advertisement online without permission.
The 37-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, only found out about her online listing after a potential client found her number on the Sex In New Zealand website.
Having only ever placed advertisements in the Manawatu Standard’s adult entertainment section, the woman was shocked to see the number and description of her “fuller figure” on the website’s Palmerston North page.
“They’ve used it without asking, and if they’d asked me I would’ve said no.
“It’s an invasion of my privacy.
“I understand when you put something in the paper that it’s in the public domain but they used information without having notified me.”
The woman only works as a prostitute on Monday to Friday from 9am-3pm, as she has children and a husband who are unaware of her daytime activities. “This is not what I always want to do.
“I’m only doing it part-time until I start my business.”
She had spoken to other prostitutes in Palmerston North, who were also unknowingly posted on the website.
“There’s one girl in town on there that’s got a picture and it’s definitely not her.
“I haven’t seen her with her clothes off but you can tell it’s not her.”
The woman contacted the website to find out who posted the advertisement, but had been unable to get the information.
Sex In New Zealand has registered members. Those members can create and update listings.
The website’s creator, an Auckland-based man known only as Bob, said he usually texted all the cellphone numbers for confirmation before they were approved for the site.
“In the early days people would put a number up just having someone on, so we’d get quite a few calls saying ‘I didn’t put this up’ or ‘I’m not a working girl’.
“Someone may have put her up there and then I’ve made a mistake and haven’t texted her.”
He said he was happy to remove the woman from the site.
New Zealand Prostitutes Collective national co-ordinator Catherine Healy said sex workers needed to be careful when putting their information into the public domain.
“We have had complaints and we’ve communicated people’s unhappiness about that to the web people. Some people don’t like to be taken from one medium to another. There is a sense that you lose control.
“Our advice would be to contact them and ask to take it off.”
Website operators were usually helpful, Ms Healy said.